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Politically Incorrect
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Does that qualify as self-loathing?
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Paul Ryan: 'I'm just not ready' to back Donald Trump
The Republican Party doesn't want to back Trump... That is, except for the majority of their primary voters and the majority of their delegates.
Is there some other candidate left standing? Afraid not.
Hiding in a closet? Who knows.
I hate to be trite, but: What's wrong with this picture?
From the article:
"Trump responded to Ryan late Thursday afternoon, saying in a statement that "I am not ready to support Speaker Ryan's agenda."
Are they searching for common ground or firing opening salvos?
Cook up that popcorn. The show's about to start.
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So true. Trump's too busy offending whole segments of the US population. If the party doesn't 'whip him to conform' soon, the general election is likely already lost.
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And the GOP is responding:
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The ‘King of Whoppers': Donald Trump
Granted, every politician slips up on their facts or embellishes on occasion, but it appears that Donald has gone the extra mile. He's now backpedaling, or trying mightily to swim up De Nile. Among numerous other flubs and fabrications, the women he called “fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals” seem to be reluctant to interpret this as a legitimate tactic to earn their vote.
Go figure.
This article also has a few choice comments on the Dems.
Worth a look.
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Is West Virginia an indicator of things to come?
Republicans
-SURPRISE! Trump won.
However, take a good, close look at the results from the Associated Press News Service:
With 97% of the vote reported: Of the 34 available delegates, it appears that only 3 have declared for Trump!
This is a bit of a bizarre change after his May 10th Nebraska win, where he took all 36 delegates. Or, perhaps the slow response of West Virginia delegates to declare indicates something else entirely.
Could it be that the Republican Party is beginning to suffer buyer's remorse?
I'd answer the question, "What's not to like?" but these posts are limited to 100,000 words.
Democrats
-Bernie Sanders was the clear winner with 51.4% of the vote, capturing another 16 delegates. This small victory still doesn't put him in a position to challenge Hillary's huge delegate lead, but it does disrupt her campaign. It also gives him additional influence over the issues to be addressed at both the convention and in the general election.
-Hillary added another 11 delegates, but only captured 36% of the vote, losing to Bernie by double digits.
While her march to the nomination is pretty much a slam-dunk, she must still split her resources, campaigning against both Sanders and Trump at the same time. With Bernie still in the race and winning hearts and minds, Hillary must also move some of her positions to the left to satisfy Sanders' voters.
The Dems are currently the ultimate dysfunctional family. Grandpa offers ice cream, but Grandma gives you a quarter. Who do the Dem voters love the best?
Can voters, perhaps, still buy their own ice cream with just a quarter?
Conclusion
West Virginia is too small both in number of voters and available delegates to have a major influence, but they have managed to highlight some of the crucial elements of the race.
-Trump can't seem to convince his own party that he's a good bet.
-Hillary and Sanders are both determined to fight to the last delegate.
Clearly, the country is moving left. As one post from another forum put it, 'the US is catching up with the rest of the western world.' That's very, VERY likely true. However, there doesn't appear to be any spoonful of sugar to make this medicine go down.
As an alternative, may I suggest scotch, gin, bourbon...
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For a group that is so above sex, they sure like to make a lot of rules about who can have sex with whom, and whether or not birth control can be used.
Yeah--and then we discover that the rules they made didn't apply to them, or perhaps they were contrite and trying to describe how they should have behaved when they did the things they hope nobody finds out about.
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The Republican Resistance to Trump—and the Rise of Republicans for Clinton
"On Thursday, Donald Trump trotted up to Capital Hill to meet with Speaker Paul Ryan and the GOP leadership to try and assure them that he is not an electoral neutron bomb. Mutual hatred toward Hillary seems to be the closest the party can get to unity right now."
Granted, the GOP is not the first party to struggle with its base. Historically, some parties have collapsed and disbanded over divisive policies and candidates. Whigs anyone? However, this article notes a particular oddity: While he is certainly the GOP's presumptive nominee, Trump's abrasive campaign represents Trump, not the GOP's conservative ideals. Odd indeed.
Is it the GOP that's confused and angry, unable to develop a coherent platform? Or, has its base shifted into unusual depths of anger over the party's gridlock performance and the party leadership's long-term embracing of the hardest of the hard-right wackos?
This is indeed a bloody and disastrous train wreck. Despite the best of intentions, one cannot look away.
And, guilty pleasure that it is, we certainly cannot fail to be amused.
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Obama's last election was not a close call. He won by nearly 5 million votes. That's MILLION! Or, nearly 4% of 2012 registered voters. The few conservative voters who did not find Romney "conservative or Christian enough" would not have made any difference in outcome. It wasn't a landslide, but it was a very solid win.
And, you lost me, Joel. What exactly did you mean by "an explosion of the existing Republican cult"?
Currently, 43% of voters are polling independent (Gallup), and as low as 26% Republican. That's a huge disparity. Frankly, I'm wondering if the GOP can pull itself together before it gets replaced by another party.
By the way, Dems poll about 30%, so not a whole lot better, but their fighting, not splintering.
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Is this election really stranger than any that came before?
The pundits are analyzing left and right, hoping to persuade us that they have the correct take on this rather bizarre race. So far, the analysis I found most interesting was from overseas—a grassroots pundit who noted:
"This election is America's IQ test, and the rest of the world is waiting to see if they pass or fail."
Republicans
-As expected Trump won Oregon on Tuesday, collecting 18 of 28 available delegates. The voters still casting their ballots for Cruz and Kasich, both dropouts, are actually voting 'anti-Trump'. The question is, will it do any good?
Trump now has 1,160 delegates of the 1,237 needed to win. A mere 77 delegates away from clinching the nomination. With six Republican primaries to go, including the big prize—California, it's clearly impossible for him to lose the nomination. The question is, will the convention solidify the party behind him or highlight the differences that have already fractured the party?
Yet another very real worry for the GOP, Trump's performance in the general election. He has been unable to overcome the numerous questions about his character. The party leadership has to face the fact that their candidate can modify his view on the issues all the way to the November election, but in these few remaining months, he can't erase the character issues that make most of the country uncomfortable with a President Trump.
However, he is not completely without character accomplishments. Trump's nomination has the whole world laughing.
Democrats
The Democrats had primaries in Oregon and Kentucky. While both candidates have to address some character issues, the Democrat's race is much more about issues.
-Hillary won the Kentucky primary, but the delegates were split 27 – 27 with Sanders. By popular vote, she was victorious by less than 2000 votes, hardly a gloat-worthy win. She lost in Oregon, but picked up another 25 delegates. At this point, Hillary is 89 delegates away from clinching the nomination, so it's likely that she'll confirm her win before California.
Faced with Sanders continued strength, her campaign must continue to step to the left to appeal to Sanders' voters. It's also in her best interest to litter the path to the convention with olive branches for Sanders. A contested convention will not solidify the Democrats' position against Trump in the general election.
-Sanders won Oregon, picking up 34 delegates, and his strong showing in Kentucky caused the 27 -27 delegate split with Hillary. He now stands at 1,533 of the 2,382 needed to secure the nomination. That's a shortfall of 849, clearly impossible for him to make up before the convention unless he sweeps the remaining nine primaries, a possibility so remote that it could not be accomplished without fraud.
However, Sanders continued strength will give him tremendous leverage at the convention in establishing the Democratic platform for the general election. Voters like Bernie's patter, and they're not focused on the lack of detail to his proposals.
Conclusion
As the last man standing, Trump has the stump. However, a more politically correct Donald is about as credible with most voters as using strawberry jam as a hemorrhoid cream.
While the Democratic convention is unlikely to be contested on the nominee (Hillary), we can expect some serious wrangling on platform issues. If Sanders' campaign is any indicator, he will not sit quietly and accept Hillary's more middle-of-the-road view of the country's future.
Hillary and Bernie must come to an accommodation, but this will not be a marriage made in heaven. Currently, it's up in the air whether this will be a shotgun wedding or a train wreck. It's Hillary's proven competence vs. Sanders' egalitarian vision for the country. Both have appeal, but if they start divorce proceedings at the convention, it's uncertain where the Democrats could end up in the general election.
Best bet: Faced with the possibility of a President Trump, the Dems will kiss and make up on national television. ...And you thought Janet Jackson's Superbowl tit got people's attention!
RE: America's IQ Test
How are we doing so far?
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Washington held its Republican Caucus on May 24th, and the GOP has officially thumbed its nose at the country and the world.
The media is now reporting that Trump has captured 75.8% of the popular vote and 40 of 44 delegates, with a total of 1,239. That puts him 2 delegates over the 1,237 needed to win.
ERGO: Donald is no longer the "presumed" nominee. He is the official GOP nominee.
Please stay tuned to your emergency broadcast stations for information regarding plagues of frogs, locusts and fiery hail.
Both Remain and Leave campaigns have been ridiculously over the top in the claims they're making about if the UK leaves the EU (or stays). Personally, I'm likely to vote Leave, but that's in spite of rather than because of the Leave campaign.https://twitter.com/MorrisF1/status/7...
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Interesting dilemma . . . and sort of refreshing that there's bullshit going on in countries other than the US. I'd be happy to hear more about this and less about Trump.
I concur with our illustrious leader Melki!
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Liberal Brains Are Different from Conservative Brains, but Dialogue Is Still Possible
Dr. Gail Saltz - Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the NY Presbyterian Hospital Weill-Cornell School of Medicine, May 29, 2016
What are the differences in brain structure between liberals and conservatives? And where do our political convictions come from: rational deliberation, or biological determinism?
I'm not sure political convictions and rational deliberation should be associated in the same sentence.
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Good one. Definitely worth some thought.
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Hillary received an endorsement today:
Jerry Brown endorses Hillary Clinton
But then, so did Trump:
North Korean state media op-ed calls Trump 'wise,' Clinton 'dull'
Governor of California Jerry Brown vs. Dictator for Life Kim Jong-un... How exactly do you weigh this one????
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Trump Says U.S. Allies Should Pay in Full for American Defense
Donald Trump, the Republican Party’s presumptive presidential nominee, said U.S. allies including Japan, Germany and Saudi Arabia should be compelled to pay in full for American military protection.
He's stating that America should be paid to defend Japan, Germany, Saudi Arabia, etc.
Historically, since before the days of the Roman Empire, war was a money-making venture. Even in modern times, Saddam Hussein tried to rob the piggy-bank next door with his invasion of Kuwait.
To consider the possibility of turning our military into a money-making venture... What could go wrong????
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Sorry, Bernie...
Hillary Clinton Clinches the Nomination. Will Bernie Sanders Fight On?
With 33 delegates from Puerto Rico and a few Superdelegates that got off the fence, it's now being reported in the New York Times that Hillary has clinched the Democratic nomination. Her total delegate count is just over the margin, 2,383 (needed 2,382).
However, it's irrelevant whether her win is a squeaker or not. With primaries this week in delegate-heavy New Jersey and the grand prize, California, she's sure to solidify her position.
While it's not technically official until the convention, there doesn't seem to be any path for Sanders to win, and contesting the vote at the Democratic convention could weaken his influence over the party platform.
Is it time for Bernie to quit?
No.
Best Guess: Sanders will likely stay in to the finish. The more votes\delegates he accumulates prior to the convention, the stronger his influence will be at the convention. So, barring a backroom deal with the party powerful, it's not to his advantage to give in now, even though he's already lost.
Let's be honest, they couldn't have given us a better Democrat show, even if they'd added Mexican judges.
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Sanders’s rationale for staying in the race may no longer include winning
...to catch her, Sanders would have to persuade nearly two-thirds of the 571 superdelegates who have already announced for Clinton to abandon her and join his cause. And he is asking them to do it at the end of a nomination process in which Clinton has won more states, more pledged delegates, more superdelegates and more overall votes than Sanders.
So...
Is it over if you sing with a fat lady?
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There's a slight resemblance.
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Based on his campaign, ignorance of the law seems to be Trump's
Legal experts on Donald Trump: 'He lacks respect for basic norms'
"Republican and Democratic legal critics tell the Guardian that Trump on several occasions has seemed woefully ignorant of the law, and dismissive of American social conventions."
Is Mr. Trump
Is it
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"The crowd laughed when Mrs. Clinton discussed Mr. Trump’s record with casinos in Atlantic City and the bankruptcies of his companies. She said Mr. Trump had “written a lot of books about business” and added, “They all seem to end at Chapter 11.”
-from New York Times article
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"The crowd laughed when Mrs. Clinton discussed Mr. Trump’s record with casinos in Atlantic City and the bankruptcies of his companies. She said Mr. Trump had ..."
Wow - didn't know she had it in her! Way to go, Hills.
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Consider a short list:
History: Let's get rid of all the contributions of non-whites to US history. The South would starve and its culture would be entirely different. Let's also get rid of all the railroads built with Chinese labor. And get rid of all the Jewish physicists and engineers, so the US adds another million casualties to WWII with the invasion of Japan. Americans never went to the moon because we didn't have the technology, the lack of which also caused us to lose the Cold War. So, you're now a communist.
Society: Let's get rid of all non-white businesses and investment in the US. Unemployment would double or triple overnight, and the country likely sinks into another depression. Your 401K is basically toilet paper. If you run out, no worries, you have very little to lose by using the money in your wallet. Also, our laws would not only be different, but would be interpreted differently. International law and international trade would be problematic at best since much of the world would view the US as a pariah.
Religion: Whether you're a Christian, Muslim or Jew, neither your god nor your prophets were white. Are you willing to send your children to church to worship a black or brown god, and study scripture written by non-whites? [Kind of a wash, since you do now anyway.]
Medicine: You don't want to use any vaccines developed by non-whites, so which of your children are you willing to see die before the age of three [pick 50%]? And don't get into a bad accident where you might need blood because the modern techniques used for blood plasma and transfusions were developed by a black physician.
Science: Modern chemistry has its roots firmly in the Muslim world, and much of the glassware used in those medieval Arab labs can still be found in modern labs, ergo give up all chemistry created by non-whites—medicines, fertilizers, plastics, fuels, etc. Also, modern electronics does not exist without the contributions of non-white physicists and engineers, so give up your cell phone, your computer, the Internet, and a thousand other products. And don't look at the night sky, because more than half those stars up there have Arab names. In fact, let's give up science altogether, because you can't make modern science work without non-white contributions.
Without diversity, America is just another third-world country, and the person who put that billboard up is walking behind a plow, hoping he can grow enough food to feed his few surviving children. And he'll have to hurry because average life expectancy is more than likely about 35.
With only a little more effort and a bit of research, I could come up with a much, much longer list. On second thought, let's just put up a more accurate sign describing this blatant fool, which says: "I'm poorly-educated on my own history and society, but I'm content to be grossly ignorant."
Oops! This isn't the "Rant" thread. C'est la vie.
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I second the motion.
(You may have to magnify the page to read this one, but it's worth it.)
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Books mentioned in this topic
Unfinished Business (other topics)The Office (other topics)
Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941–1942 (other topics)
Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941–1942 (other topics)
The Glass Castle (other topics)
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As an interested outside observer (in the UK) I found Cruz quitting to be quite a shock; I thought he would stick to the end regardless, just to try to make things trickier for Trump.
Wh..."
Everybody hates Ted Cruz! Apparently, he's always been a colossal jerk; just ask his college roommate - http://theslot.jezebel.com/fuckin-cra...
In a remarkably short amount of time, he managed to alienate Senate colleagues by being abrasive and arrogant, and by putting his own ambition ahead of legislative and party goals.
https://newrepublic.com/article/12880...
Even his own family has trouble coming up with nice things to say about him:
http://www.rawstory.com/2016/01/even-...
Watch this hilarious video - http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/02/politic...
The man even wants to ban dildos!
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2...
That said, I was hoping he'd stay in the race. I was really looking forward to some convention floor fireworks. And yes, despite being so widely despised, I expect he will run again.
Here's to hoping that when he does run, it will be against President Clinton and NOT President Trump.